Sep 26, 2021
Let’s start this blogcast with an important statement: You are enough.
Right now. Today. You are enough.
I say this because there are a large number of side hustlin’ teachers who want to start a blog, podcast, or video show, but don’t because they feel they’re lacking… something.
Whether it’s education, experience, age, or something else all together, let me reassure you that there is nothing you need to get started on the journey of content creation that you don’t already possess.
But, I know that understanding that may not be enough, so today I’m sharing with you 3 reasons that you should start publishing your content now… even if you don’t feel ready.
Action Begets Growth
As teachers, we know that the best way to get better at something is to do it… over and over again. Imagine teaching a student how to write in cursive, but never asking them to practice. They’d never get better at cursive, right?! The same is true for your blog, podcast, or video show.
When you put your content out to the world, that’s your practice.
Why can’t you just practice on your own?
Some clients wonder why they can’t just write a blog post and keep it for themselves, or record a video and never upload it.
Well, you can. But it’s far less effective.
If we go back to our cursive analogy, imagine again giving your students opportunities to practice their cursive, but never giving them feedback or guidance on how to improve. They may get better, but some will actually develop bad habits and learn things incorrectly, making it even more difficult to get it right later on.
By sharing your content you’re opening yourself up for feedback. Your audience will help you get better through their comments, questions, reaching out, and sharing. They will tell you what they want more of, and what they need less of.
Without their feedback it will take longer for you to be your best, and you may get into some nasty habits that will be hard to break later.
Newton’s First Law
Full confession, I had to look up the order of Newton’s laws. Just in case you’re in the same boat, Newton’s first law states that an object in motion will stay in motion until acted on by an outside force.
What’s true in physics is also true in business.
It’s hard to get into the habit of building a business if you don’t take the first step.
Once you start putting your content out into the world, you can establish a routine that will help you hit publish every week. If you need some help with your routine I encourage you to check out Content Made Simple, in which I walk you through my 3-step content creation process and give you the Content Planning Worksheet I spent years refining.
The other thing that happens when you start sharing your content on a regular basis is that your audience expects and looks forward to it.
At a conference I went to, Pat Flynn shared that one time he forgot to schedule a podcast episode to go out he got an email from a fan that read, “Hey Pat, it’s Wednesday, where the f@$k Is today’s show? Love your show. Thanks!”
The expectation of other people - people who look to you for information and expertise - is kind of trippy. But it’s also great motivation to keep going and put out new content.
Of course, the first thing you have to do before you form these habits is to hit publish for the first time.
Cultivate Your Confidence
Have you heard the expression, “Fake it ‘til you make it”?
That’s it.
That’s everything.
One of the biggest reasons many teachers don’t put their content out to the world is because we think that we’re not enough.
If you’ve ever hesitated to publish on a blog post, podcast, or video show, because you thought:
- I’m not an expert in this.
- There are plenty of others who are better at this than I am.
- Who’s going to listen to me, I’m just a _______.
- If I write this post/ record this episode, people will see that I’m a fraud.
- I don’t have the right degree/ certification so no one will listen to me.
You’re not alone.
Those thoughts are completely normal, and while they don’t ever completely go away, putting your content out helps you push past them.
The first time I stood in front of a class full of students, I just knew they were going to ask me a question I couldn’t answer, tell me they didn’t have to listen to me because I wasn’t a real teacher, or just fully devolve into a Lord of the Flies style tribe.
But every time I stepped into a classroom and successfully survived, my confidence grew.
Now, after 20 years, I know that I can handle whatever the kids can dish out.
The same is true with content.
Once you put out your first piece, you realize that the only one putting you down is you.
Fake it ‘til you make it isn’t about faking success and putting on a show so others will believe in you. It’s about acting as if you are what you want to become… and then, one day, you are that person.
Fake confidence until you feel confident.
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “By acting as if I was not afraid, I gradually ceased to be afraid.” (Of course, Teddy was talking about Grizzly bears, but the principle still holds.)
You came to Side Hustle Teachers for a reason.
You’re looking for more. More money, more growth, more personal fulfillment.
To quote another great president, “Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.”
So if you want more, you’re going to have to make it happen.